Tell the FCC: End Cell Phone Bill Shock

When you open your cell phone bill, or log on to manage your account, do you hold your breath for a moment? Did you blow your voice or text usage limit? Did the kids download something unexpectedly costly? Will this be another $400 bill?

According to a recent FCC study, an estimated 30 million Americans this year got hit by an unexpected, very high cell phone bill. Bill shock costs us all. We spend hours on the phone with customer service. We fork out hundreds in unexpected plan charges.

It doesn't have to be this way.

Cell phone customers in Europe get a quick call or text when they are getting close to their usage limits, and another one when they hit those limits. That puts you in control of your family's cell phone service again.

After such a notice, most of us would quickly change our calling behavior -- stop using the personal cell at work, temporarily take away a child's phone, use the land line more if we have one.

The FCC is asking for your thoughts on this idea. With your help, it could become the law here, and help us end this costly consumer headache. Take a moment right now to tell the FCC you support this common sense idea.

Letter to

Federal Communication Commission

Cell phone companies should absolutely notify me before I go over my limits on voice, data or text service. That way I can finally get control over my bills and permanently avoid bill shock.

This is a simple solution that puts me in control.

I've gotten bills for hundreds of dollars, spent hours on the phone with customer service, and I never end up satisfied.

It seems that the problem was always my fault. I've been told I didn't understand my plan limits, didn't understand my parental controls, didn't understand the charges associated with a download or an online service. But most of all, I just didn't know when I ran out of minutes.